The biomolecular mechanisms of numerous organic molecules are essentially undefined. Particularly, the organic molecules containing silicon are essential for growth and biological function in a variety of plant, animal, and microbial systems, however the molecular mechanism for these interactions are effectively unknown. The in vitro studies of natural systems within the area of silica biosynthesis are complicated. Early mechanistic queries including biomimetic approaches often failed to recognize the chemistry of silicic acid and its analogues. For example, silicatein was determined to catalyze the polycondensation of tetraethoxysilane during the formation of particulate silica. However, given the limitations of the product and the resultant analysis, the study was not able to differentiate between the role of silicatein in the hydrolysis and condensation reactions during biosilicification.
Thus, there remains a need for improved methods of forming structurally defined organic molecules and materials, particularly organosilicon molecules.